Features

Dustin Tokarski finished with 1.97 goals-against average, and won a career-high of 34 games during his last junior season.The question will be if he can acclimate to the NHL, despite his 5-foot-11 frame.

(Saskatoon StarPhoenix) During the next week, [Lightning 2009 first rounder] Carter Ashton will tote his Lethbridge Hurricanes hockey bag through three provinces for four games.

He'll tangle with familiar WHL foes in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Medicine Hat. But first, the 18-year-old winger has a Thursday date with the Russians in Kelowna, B.C.

"A lot of people will be watching that game," says Ashton, who'll represent Team WHL in the finale of the Subway Super Series. "It's another step towards the process (of earning an invitation to the national junior team's selection camp)."

For the rest of this story, please see the StarPhoenix by clicking here.

(Kalmazoo Gazette) When he was 9 years old, defenseman Luke Witkowski visited Western Michigan University, watched a hockey game, went into the locker room and decided then he wanted to play hockey for the Broncos.

Ten years later, heâ€™s a freshman blueliner paired with senior Tyler Ludwig as the Broncos (4-3-0, 0-2-0 CCHA) prepare to host Lake Superior State in a home series Friday and Saturday at Lawson Ice Arena. ...

For the rest of this feature, see the Kalmazoo Gazette online by clicking here.

Now that the 2009-2010 season is fully underway, it's time for Bolt Prospects to engage in the annual ritual of submitting its October Preliminary Rankings. This is going to be a fascinating season for the Lightning's prospects, as Norfolk looks like it has the most depth its had since the Lightning affiliated itself with the Admirals franchise and a deep 2009 NHL Entry Draft has given Lightning fans much to look forward to in the junior ranks. But, before we proceed, lets go over the ground rules again.

Bolt Prospects considers a prospect skater to be any player under the age of 24 on opening night of the season who has played less than 41 NHL games in any given season and who has not played more than 82 career NHL games. For goaltenders, any player who has less than 30 NHL decisions in a single season and less than 41 career NHL decisions is still considered a prospect. The exception to these rules is an NCAA player, who is considered a prospect for however long they remain in school. Clear as mud? Wonderful. Let's begin...

This was Richard Panik's much talked-about second goal of the preseason, scored between the legs on a ricochet off the end-boards. Panik (#28 on right) had three goals and eight points in two exhibition games for Windsor before joining the Lightning for rookie camp in Brandon, Florida. Enjoy.

([url=http://beta.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1721672]Sault Star Feature[/url])
When asked, there's no hesitation.
Kyle DeCoste quickly admits that yes, this is the biggest year of his life.
A fifth-round draft choice of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008, DeCoste's play over the next several months will determine whether he gets a professional contract.
But it may take the London, Ont., native some time to be completely ready for his fourth Ontario Hockey League season.
The 19-year-old right-winger, who joined the Soo Greyhounds just before last season's Jan. 10 trade deadline, is recovering from shoulder surgery in April.
The six-foot-two, 196- pounder, is "almost 100 per cent back," after having a torn labrum (cartilage) repaired on his left side.
But the surgery kept DeCoste, who scored 15 times a season ago, including seven in 26 games for the Greyhounds, from training the way he needed to.
For the rest of the story, see the Sault Star by [url=http://beta.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1721672]clicking here[/url].

[b]Lightning prospect Tokarski does nothing but win[/b]
(National Post) The 19-year-old goaltender obsessively taps his posts and his chest. And during every stoppage in play, he pokes the top of his net twice with the blade of his stick.
"That kid must take forever to wash his hands," one fan observed after watching Tokarski mind the Spokane Chiefs' net during a Western Hockey League game last season.
Like baseball player Nomar Garciaparra's ritual of adjusting and readjusting his gloves before every pitch, Tokarski's habits can be enervating to watch.
But as much as his twitchiness makes him appear unsettled, it also puts him in a comfort zone.
"I've been doing that ever since I was 13 years old," he says.
Tokarski has also made a habit of winning.[/quote]
To read the rest of the story, see the [i]National Post[/i]/[i]StarPhoenix[/i] by [url=http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=1905143]clicking here[/url].

With two weeks now passed since a very successful 2009 NHL Entry Draft and an equally successful Young Guns prospect camp, Bolt Prospects has released a supplemental update to its 2008-2009 Final Rankings. The rankings primarily reflect the addition of the team's recent draftees, as well as recent contractual moves by the team and its prospects.

It wasnâ€™t the way he envisioned spending his winter months, but Dana Tyrell is making the best of a bad situation and is hoping to hit the ice this summer stronger than ever.

After completely tearing the anterior cruciate ligament and partially tearing the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during a Dec. 18 World Junior exhibition game against Sweden, Tyrell has taken to the arduous task of rehabbing the knee with his trademark hard working approach.

The soon-to-be 20-year-old has been working on the knee with a Hockey Canada physiotherapist at Canada Olympic Park, along with his trainer of over two years, Doug Crashley.

â€œMy (physiotherapist) says itâ€™s ahead of schedule so things are moving along quickly,â€ Tyrell said after a recent morning workout session at COP. â€œItâ€™s a six month recovery, but Iâ€™ve seen guys Iâ€™ve been training with in here that are at a five month point and Iâ€™m ahead of them already.â€

The last time the Vermont menâ€™s hockey team opened its mailbox and found an invitation to the NCAA party, Tim Thomas (yes, that Tim Thomas) was minding the nets and current Tampa Bay Lightning sniper Martin St. Louis was supplying the goals.